See this group shot with the cute Dog Mom t-shirts? It’s the AFTER photo. But the BEFORE pics start with this…
These are photos from the day I visited Custom Ink, which has a store on Royal Lane in Dallas. It was the very first time I’d ever designed anything, and let me tell you…it wasn’t stressful and intimidating. It was incredibly easy!
Let me back up and explain why I designed a custom t-shirt. It’s because I’m a serious dog lover, and I’m fortunate enough to have a good group of girlfriends who are dog lovers, too. In fact, I feel an amazing sense of pride when I think of those close to me who foster, donate time and money, and have adopted rescue dogs who needed an advocate. My best friend, Martha, has been a volunteer and foster mom for a rescue group for the past year. Seeing her first foster dog, Scruff, go from scared and untrusting to a cuddly love bug was nothing short of inspirational. My family has been adopting rescue dogs since I was 12, and I currently have two at home. Dogs don’t care how rich, smart, beautiful, or old you are…they just want to be your friend. So why not try to add to their joy in return?
When a common passion brings people together, I say make it special and announce it to the world…in our case, I wanted a comfy, quirky shirt that would encourage people to ask us questions. It would open to the door for us to tell others to “adopt, don’t shop”, share our personal rescue stories, and donate to their local animal rescues!
I made an online appointment at Custom Ink. When I arrived, Preston was waiting for me with a host of ideas already mapped out. It was a relief that I didn’t have to come up with all the concepts or designs to consider. He knew based on my notes that I wanted a cheeky “Dog Mom” shirt, so he did mock-ups of several different styles and graphics.
He’s actually the one who came up with “Full Time Dog Mom”, which I loved! He helped me decide on colors, style (I went with a cozy yoga style shirt,) and he even gave me assistance with choosing sizes for everyone. Custom Ink makes the customization process fun and easy with their design tools, amazing caring customer service, creative design inspiration, and a huge selection of quality products.
Preston not only got my order out quickly, but called and emailed me after the shirts arrived to make sure they were perfect! Oh, and in case you want to create a custom design yourself, you can upload your own design too… especially if your group has a logo that you want to use. If you don’t, they have a massive collection of art to choose from.
I wasn’t in a huge hurry, since this wasn’t for a bachelorette party or fundraiser, but if you are– they can even print your custom shirt same day.
Which leads me to these “after” photos. I can’t help but smile when I see us in these shirts talking about things that we love. And petting those we love!
Designing a custom shirt for your friends or family is a lot of fun, but seeing their faces when you give them the shirts is even better. 🙂 I’m pretty sure the dogs think we look cute, too.
So, now that I’ve shared how to design a custom shirt with zero hassle that actually looks and feels amazing, can I finish with an important PSA from the Humane Society?
Each year, 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States, simply because too many pets come into shelters and too few people consider adoption when looking for a pet.
The number of euthanized animals could be reduced dramatically if more people adopted pets instead of buying them. When you adopt, you save a loving animal by making them part of your family and open up shelter space for another animal who might desperately need it.
Adopting a mature pet not only gives older animals a second chance, it often means introducing them to your family will be much easier.
Not only do animals give you unconditional love, but they have been shown to be psychologically, emotionally and physically beneficial to their companions. Caring for a pet can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment and lessen feelings of loneliness. And when you adopt, you can also feel proud about helping an animal in need!
Overburdened shelters take in millions of stray, abused and lost animals every year, and by adopting an animal, you’re making room for others. Not only are you giving more animals a second chance, but the cost of your adoption goes directly towards helping those shelters better care for the animals they take in!
Plus, you are gaining a new best friend who will love you for life. And there is no better feeling.
Photography: S. Jackson
{This post is sponsored by Custom Ink}
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